Cross-country ski boot

ABSTRACT

A waterproof cross-country ski boot is provided with a soft, comfortable low-sided upper and a relatively solid nonflexible sole. The sole is configured to conform with the ski bindings and provide the required rigidity in the heel area while simultaneously allowing sufficient flexibility so that the boot may be worn as conventional sportswear. Moreover, provision is made for sufficient warmth in the boot upper, and the general interface between the boot upper and the sole is so configured to be watertight.

Unite States Patent [1 1 Famolare, Jr.

[451 Oct. 22, 1974 1 1 CROSS-COUNTRY SKI BOOT [75] Inventor: Joseph P.Famolare, Jr., Florence,

Italy [73] Assignee: Famolare, Inc., New York, NY.

[22] Filed: Sept. 20, 1973 {21] Appl. No.: 399,188

' 521 user. 36/2.5 AL [51] Int. Cl A43b 00/00 [58] Field of Search 36/25R, 2.5 A, 16, 45,

36/17 R, 17 A, 17 W [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS2,273,541 2/1942 Summerhayes 36/25 AL 3,597,862 8/1971 Wogcl 36/25 AL3,727,329 4/1973 Peterson 36/25 AL FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS1,006,261 4/1952 France 36/25 AL 1,083,787 1/1955 France 36/25 ALPrimary ExaminerPatrick D. Lawson Attorney, Agent, or FirmMandeville andSchweitzer 5 7 ABSTRACT A waterproof cross-country ski boot is providedwith a soft, comfortable low-sided upper and a relatively solidnonflexible sole. The sole is configured to conform with the skibindings and provide the required rigidity in the heel area whilesimultaneously allowing sufficient flexibility so that the boot may beworn as conventional sportswear. Moreover, provision is made forsufficient warmth in the boot upper, and the general interface betweenthe boot upper and the sole is so configured to be watertight.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures CROSS-COUNTRY SKI BOOT STATEMENT OF THEINVENTION In its most general form, this invention relates to across-country ski boot. More particularly, this invention relates tosuch a cross-country ski boot which is so configured and so designedthat it may be readily utilized with the usual and conventional bindingsfor cross-country skis. All the necessary requirements are incorporatedfor such ski boots, while simultaneously being so constructed anddesigned that it may be used as conventional sportswear.

Cross-country ski boots require, for example, a relatively rigid sole,so configured that it will conform to the bindings and lockingarrangements on crosscountry skis. Moreover, the boots must be warmenough to sustain the wearer in a relatively cold, moist environment.The upper portion of the ski boot must be flexible enough forconventional walking action which takes place in cross-country skiing,and the boot must be usable without skis during those periods of restand relaxation during treks which may take several days.

The ski boot, in accordance herewith, incorporates a solid solestructure with the required rigidity in the heel area and a squared heeland toe for accommodating the bindings of cross-country skis. Combinedwith this sole is a relatively soft, flexible upper, which incorporatesthe warmth requirements involved, and provides sufficient comfort forcontinuous walking action during a cross-country trek. Moreover, themultilayered construction of the ski boot, in accordance herewith, is soconfigured to have the joints maintain a watertight connection betweenthe solid sole and the flexible upper of the ski boot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As will be understood, the requirements ofcrosscountry ski boots differ substantially from ski boots forconventional downhill skiing. That is, the latter require relativelyrigid uppers which are built higher around the ankle so that the usermay use the strength of his ankles to guide the skis at high speedsduring downhill skiing. That is, the racer or downhill skier must tilthis boots from the ankle in order to control the direction of the skisfor rapid changes in direction and so forth during downhill skiing.

By contrast, cross-country skiing is more in the form of a touringacross country over snow covered areas with movement being more in theform of a walking or skating action during forward motion of thecrosscountry skis. In this connection, it will be understood further,that cross-country skis are configured differently from conventionaldownhill skis. That is, they are substantially smaller and shorter andserve more as snowshoes for carrying a person across snow covered areas.Because of this, crosscountry ski boots do not require the rigidity thatconventional ski boots require. In fact, they require just the oppositefor the uppers in the sense that they should provide flexible comfortduring this cross-country trekking. Nevertheless, the cross-country skiboots must have sufficient rigidity for connection with thecross-country ski bindings and locking arrangements, so that the skiboots are held appropriately on the cross-country skis.

However, since cross-country skiing is a relatively new recreationalactivity in the sense that large numbers of people have not, heretofore,participated in this sport, few boots have been developed which areparticularly appropriate for this kind of activity. Generally, in thepast when conventional ski boots have been used, their required rigidityfor downhill skiing has not proved appropriate for cross-countrytrekking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With this invention, by contrast, all of thespecial re-. quirements for cross-country skiing have been met bystructure in a cross-country ski boot. For example, the ski boot upperis comprised of an outer layer of a soft, waterproofed material, such asleather, in combination with a foam layer for further softness andwarmth together with a soft fabric-like lining adjacent the foot.Utilized with this upper is a solid wedge" type sole with a relativelythick substantially rigid heel area for connection to the bindings onthe cross-country ski. The toe area of the sole is substantially moreflexible than the heel area to provide for the walking action necessaryfor cross-country skiing. Moreover, the sole is squared at both the toeand heel, again to conform to the locking and binding connections withthe crosscountry ski. Also, the squared heel area of the sole at therear corners of the ski boot have extensions or wing-like appendageswhich extend both laterally and rearwardly beyond the rear of the upperto enhance rigidity and to conform more precisely to the ski bindings.

Both the upper and the sole portion of the crosscountry ski boot, inaccordance herewith, are comprised of a plurality of layers orlaminations which are so configured to provide a water-tight connectionbetween the upper and the sole, so that any water leakage at the generalconnection between the sole and the upper is readily accommodated andprevented from entering the shoe interior. It will be noted from thedrawings herein that the cross-country ski boots, in accordanceherewith, are so designed to be appropriate for conventional sportswearfrom an appearance standpoint, as well as a utilitarian standpoint.

Before describing this invention further, it should be noted thatvarious portions of the cross-country ski boot, in accordance herewith,may be manufactured from natural or synthetic leathers, natural orsynthetic rubbers, various resins including thermoplastics and a varietyof foamed resin materials. Moreover, unless otherwise noted, the variouslayers of the shoe parts described below may be joined together by avariety of different procedures, including fusion at elevatedtemperatures, chemical cross-linking, as well as the utilization ofconventional adhesives, all in well known manner.

With the foregoing and additional objects in view, this invention willnow be described in more detail, and other objects and advantages hereofwill be apparent from the following description, the accompanyingdrawings, and the appended claims.

As purely illustrative of an arrangement of crosscountry ski boot whichmay be used for carrying out this invention, the attached drawingsillustrate a crosscountry ski boot with the combination of a rigid wedgetype sole and a relatively low slung, soft, flexible upper, with suchski boot being appropriate for use in cross-country skiing.

IN THE DRAWINGS:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cross-country ski boot embodyingaspects for practicing this invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevated sectional view of the ski boot of FIG. 1 alonglines 22; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the heel area of the crosscountry ski bootof FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, inwhich like reference characters refer to like parts throughout theseveral views thereof, a cross-country ski boot is designated generallyat in FIG. 1 with an upper 12 joined to a sole 14 by double stitching26. Upper 12 may have all of the conventional elements of a shoe upperincluding the vamp, toe, side quarter, etc., as well as conventionaleyelets and lacing 20, and stitching 22. As will be apparent from FIG.1, the shoe upper has a relatively low slung ankle portion and may haveincorporated therearound, a padded welt 24 for providing additionalcomfort adjacent the ankle. As can be seen further, in FIG. 1, the soleis wedge-shaped and solid with a squared toe 18 and heel 19. Although itis not required, the upper may have a squared-off toe portion 16 with astylized stitching 17 to conform in style with squaredoff toe portion 18of sole 14. Moreover, the toe may have a built-up, relatively rigidinsert, as desired, in order to protect the toes of the wearer in theenvironment of use.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that solid sole 14 may becomprised of a variety of layers to form a solid laminate, includingwear sole 29 which, preferably, will be comprised of a relativelyflexible crepe rubber to provide enhanced gripping action to the wearsole. Adhered to the wear sole is layer 28 of a relatively hard rubberto provide the required rigidity for sole 14. Finally, adhered to hardrubber layer 28 is an additional layer for completing the sole 14. Thisadditional layer may be, for example, reconstituted leather.

Forming the upper 12 of the ski boot, in accordance herewith, is anouter relatively soft, flexible leather layer 34, which is waterproofedin order to protect the wearer from the moist environment in which thecross country ski boot will be used. Immediately below leather layer 34is an additional thinner layer of leather 36 of a relatively harder orless flexible nature which serves to provide body for the upper,particularly in the toe area of the ski boot. Immediately below thislayer 36 is a foam layer 38, which may be of any well-known foammaterial such as, for example, flexible polyurethane foam. Forming thelining for the internal cavity 45 of the ski boot is a fabric material40 which may be, for example, nylon tricot, with the toe portion thereofbeing sewn at 42 to close or join the material together at the end ofthe toe.

Forming the bottom of the internal portion or cavity 45 of boot 10 is asoft sock liner 46, which may be comprised of soft leather for thecomfort of the wearer,

which is, in turn, adhered to insole 44, which may be made ofreconstituted leather. As can be seen further in FIG. 2, the upper outerlayer 34 has an extension or flange portion 35, which is positioned toform an interface 32 with upper layer 30 of sole l4. Flange 35 is joinedto the sole by stitching 26, which, preferably, is double stitching. Thedouble stitching 26, as will be seen in FIG. 2, extends well into hardrubber portion 28 of sole 14.

As can be seen further in FIG. 2, foam portion 38 of upper 12 extendsdownwardly only to the sides of the shoe upper, while internal leatherlayer 36 and lining 40 extend downwardly andunder insole 44 at interface32. With such an arrangement, if moisture should enter intersticesformed around the stitching 26 or at the interface 32 between the joinedupper and sole, the moisture will only proceed as far as the areasadjacent interface 32 below insole 44. It will be prevented fromentering internal area 45 by the insertion of the layers 36 and 40inwardly under insole 44, as shown at 48 in FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 3, it will be seen that sole 14 extends at therear of the cross-country ski boot beyond the rear of upper 12 bothlaterally and to the rear. That is, wing-like extensions 21 are formedintegral with sole 14 to give sole 14 the appropriate conformity toconventional ski bindings. Moreover, sole 14 extends to the rear ofupper 12 at 23. This not only provides the conformity noted above, butalso the rigidity necessary to keep the foot from twisting away from theski after breaking in, which is a defect with prior art constructions.

Thus, with the arrangement herein, the wearer of ski boot 10 isprotected from moisture through the combination of the waterproofedouter layer 34, as well as the configuration of the joints between thevarious layers interconnecting the boot upper with the sole. Moreover,the appropriate softness and flexibility for the upper 12 is providedwith foam layer 38 and the soft, flexible nature of the tricot lining 40and leather layer 34. Nevertheless, substantial rigidity is incorporatedinto boot 10 through the use of solid wedge-shaped sole 14, which inturn, incorporates a wear sole with appropriate frictional grippingaction, as well as a solid, hard, relatively inflexible portioncomprised of reconstituted leather and hard rubber. The squaredconfiguration of the heel and toe of sole 14 is appropriate for use withconventional cross-country ski bindings and locks. Moreover, because ofthe relative flexibility of the upper and a degree of flexibility in thetoe portion of the sole, the cross-country ski boot, in accordanceherewith, may be utilized as conventional sportswear. The rugged solecombined with the double stitching, joining the upper to the sole, withthat stitching extending into the hard rubber portion of the sole,provides, moveover, the appropriate protection for the type ofenvironment in which the ski boots will be used.

While the particular arrangements of cross-country ski boot hereindisclosed form a preferred embodiment of this invention, this inventionis not limited to that particular arrangement, and changes can be madetherein without departing from the scope of the invention, which isdefined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination a cross-country ski boot having a soft, flexible, lowslung upper and a substantially inflexible sole joined by stitching;which comprises a. said sole being a solid wedge-shaped laminate with asquared-off heel and toe comprised of a crepe wear sole adhered to ahard rubber internal layer;

b. a top layer of reconstituted leather adhered to said hard rubberlayer on the side opposite said crepe wear sole;

c. said upper being a laminate with the outer layer thereof having anoutwardly'extending flange forming an interface with said top layer ofsaid sole around the entire peripheral extent of said ski boot, saidflange being joined to said sole by said stitchd. an insole disposedadjacent said interface; and

e. the entire periphery of at least one lamina of said upper beingfolded inwardly under said insole at said interface.

2. A cross-country ski boot as described in claim 1,

in which a. said outer layer is waterproofed.

3. A cross-country ski boot as described in claim 1,

in which a. said upper is comprised of said outer layer of soft,

flexible leather;

b. a second layer of a thinner, less flexible leather;

c. a third layer of a flexible foam; and

d. a liner of fabric material.

4. A cross-country ski boot as described in claim 3,

in which a. said second layer and said liner are folded inwardly undersaid insole.

5. A cross-country ski boot as described in claim 1,

5 in which a. said squared-off heel of said sole extends rearwardly andlaterally beyond the heel of said upper.

6. A cross-country ski boot having a soft, flexible, low 10 slung upperfixed to a substantially rigid sole, in which a. said sole is generallywedge-shaped in its longitudinal cross section and includes asubstantially thickened heel portion;

b. said sole includes a generally squared-off toe portion; and c.wing-like appendages integral with said thickened heel portionprojectboth laterally and rearwardly beyond said upper to rigidify and tostabilize said sole.

so I

1. In combination a cross-country ski boot having a soft, flexible, lowslung upper and a substantially inflexible sole joined by stitching;which comprises a. said sole being a solid wedge-shaped laminate with asquaredoff heel and toe comprised of a crepe wear sole adhered to a hardrubber internal layer; b. a top layer of reconstituted leather adheredto said hard rubber layer on the side opposite said crepe wear sole; c.said upper being a laminate with the outer layer thereof having anoutwardly extending flange forming an interface with said top layer ofsaid sole around the entire peripheral extent of said ski boot, saidflange being joined to said sole by said stitching; d. an insoledisposed adjacent said interface; and e. the entire periphery of atleast one lamina of said upper being folded inwardly under said insoleat said interface.
 2. A cross-country ski boot as described in claim 1,in which a. said outer layer is waterproofed.
 3. A cross-country skiboot as described in claim 1, in which a. said upper is comprised ofsaid outer layer of soft, flexible leather; b. a second layer of athinner, less flexible leather; c. a third layer of a flexible foam; andd. a liner of fabric material.
 4. A cross-country ski boot as describedin claim 3, in which a. said second layer and said liner are foldedinwardly under said insole.
 5. A cross-country ski boot as described inclaim 1, in which a. said squared-off heel of said sole extendsrearwardly and laterally beyond the heel of said upper.
 6. Across-country ski boot having a soft, flexible, low slung upper fixed toa substantially rigid sole, in which a. said sole is generallywedge-shaped in its longitudinal cross section and includes asubstantially thickened heel portion; b. said sole includes a generallysquared-off toe portion; and c. wing-like appendages integral with saidthickened heel portion project both laterally and rearwardly beyond saidupper to rigidify and to stabiliZe said sole.